Disclaimer: Do I own Harry? No, I do not. That copyright belongs to J.K. Rowling. Beside that, this is not really what may have happened in the Maurauder Era. I love this era and I will not stop writing about it. :D The small free verse is of my creation. It is supposed to be James, but oh well...

~*~|*|~*~

I loved more than anything,
For her smile and her eyes were my everything.
I loved her for her face and for her soul,
To finally kiss her was my goal.
I love the flower,
I love thee, Lily.

~*~|*|~*~

Chapter: James

James… how many times would I want to repeat that name? Many, yes. He kept giving me flowers since the day that he took me to Hogsmead. I doubt that we’ve been the same, really. It was the stupid Potions Master’s Guide through N.E.W.T.s fault, but I can’t be too sad on that. I’m busy thinking about his eyes…

Yes, his eyes. His hazel eyes… they drive me crazy. They’ve made me forget about my father’s death, my sister’s remarks, but not my mother’s face. I would go to her this summer to talk to her and stay with her for a while. I owe her an apology for running away from her, I know.

Where am I now? I’m in my Head Girl dormitory swinging my legs and looking at the ceiling dreamily.

Sad tragic story it is indeed. Why did Romeo have to kill Tybalt? If he had not then he wouldn’t have been exiled to Mantua. I sighed and closed my book. I was in act four and I was almost finished, but I was re-reading the book. I smiled at my old copy of Romeo and Juliet.

James might be equivalent to Romeo. The two of them are handsome and very romantic…

Gosh, what am I thinking? Lily, you must get onto doing your homework. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow! Besides, Professor Sprout asked if she could have some volunteers help her with a plant’s puss to take it to the Hospital Wing. I grinned.

This was my duty as Head Girl and I was proud of it. Besides, James kept my memories from flashing back to my mind’s eye.

~*~|*|~*~

Marlene McKinnon and Alice Étourdi, my two friends, grinned as I approached the table. Marlene was studying Muggle Studies and was a sixth year, but had just turned seventeen during December. Alice held up the orange juice pitcher and poured some into my goblet.

“How is your day going so far?” Alice asked brightly.

Marlene intermingled, “Yes, how is it? Does it involve going on a date with someone without telling me first?”

I raised my eyebrows.

Marlene is sure in a good mood today! I wonder if she has talked to Samuel yet…

Samuel was a boy in Hufflepuff that she had her eye on ever since November. Right now we were in the middle of January.

Hopefully James will ask me out for Valentine’s Day!

There was no doubt that he would. I hoped with all my heart though…

“What ever are you speaking of, Marlene?” I asked, but I turned towards Alice to tell her, “My day has gone well so far. No homework to do! Yes!”

Marlene gasped sarcastically, “No way! I still have loads to do for Potions. Professor Slughorn wants us to write 12 inches over how our potions went wrong. Friterald’s potion burst on fire and the brute caused ours to dump all over the floor. Some girls are deciding to get away from him and they’re talking about his forgetfulness.”

“Tell him if he needs help on Potions to come over to me so I can tutor him or something. I have free time next Friday and I’ll be in the library,” I replied.

Marlene shook her head. “That would be a bad idea, to tutor him. He can’t understand a bloody thing about anything except killing bugs outdoors and cheat during tests.”

He’s that bad? I shuddered. “That sounds bad enough… but I’ll just give him a chance.”

Gideon wasn’t so good looking, but his carrot red hair was neat and his eyes a glittery crystal blue. Some girls think he is a very troublesome boy. He can not perform his Charms well. Professor Flitwick often talked about him in our class as an example. He’s looking for a student to tutor him. I’m only good at Potions, but not at Charms. Like Achilles’ heel, Charms is my weak spot, honestly.

Instead of coming to our part of the huge Gryffindor table he walked to James’ group, The Marauders. I wonder why they chose that if they don’t go around and dig in graves for dead people’s gold/valuables. Yes, good point isn’t it? That is what a Marauder does.

He exchanged a few laughs with Black, but Peter seemed to ruin the funniness of whatever the joke was. James was frustratingly writing on a piece of parchment with different colored inks. I wonder where his brain’s gears are winding him to do. He looked up from his parchment and caught my eyes. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I smiled nervously.

He grinned and went back to his parchment.

“Earth to Lily… Alice, help me, Lily isn’t responding! I think we’ve lost her to the world all vain girls go to!” Marlene’s voice broke my faint look on James.

She was grinning like a cat that got the milk. “You went on a date with Potter and you never told me!”

I sighed and told her how he had gotten me on a date. Marlene’s eyes stared at James and back at me. She was gaping just as Alice was busy chewing her nails. I had almost forgotten about the boy she was talking about a few moments ago.

“Alice, what was it that you wanted to tell us before Prewett came over?” I asked quietly.

As if some one would actually hear me over the racket of the Great Hall! I mentally giggled. I was being a little secretive, but this is my friend Alice. I must pay respects to her. She is quiet after all.

Alice fumbled with the loose string again and tried to yank it off. “Well, Frank Longbottom-“

Alice gulped and told us quietly, “Frank Longbottom wants to be my Valentine.”

“Are you saying that he said that for Valentine’s Day?” Marlene asked loudly and excitedly.

She asked so loudly that some heads turned.

I grinned, “Actually, My sister is going to be taken by her huge boyfriend to a romantic dinner at a nasty Muggle pub. That’s terrible isn’t it?”

Vernon taking Petunia to a pub on Valentine’s Day… ridiculous! I tried to not laugh, but Vernon is kind of cheap. That thought made me want to laugh even more. The thought of seeing Petunia scowling in a pub and a blushing Vernon trying to reach her hand in a dirty pub caused me to laugh out loud.

Marlene joined in, but Alice blushed.

“That does sound funny and terrible,” Marlene laughed.

Everyone was back to their business and Alice sighed with relief.

“Thank you, Lily, even though that does give my mind’s eye a funny scene.”

I smiled. “You’re welcome, Alice. I wonder if Elaine can help fix us up for Valentine’s Day. She is rather good with hair.”

“True, but I don’t have a date for Valentine’s. I just wish that Samuel asked me out!” Marlene reached across the table for a blue berry muffin.

“Do say more, McKinnon.”

Oh, no! It’s Black! I stared at the black haired boy questioningly.

He flashed a toothy grin. Marlene rolled her eyes.

“What I was saying did not involve your ears, Mr. Black. Please just get your nose and your huge ego out of my business,” Marlene scolded.

Black frowned and told her, “I was just wondering, since Valentine’s is around the corner… that you’d want to go out with-“ He glared at Remus, whom was at another table, turned to us, and continued, “someone. Can you be my Valentine?”

“Yes, I can, but you aren’t asking the correct question. Start with the word ‘may’ this time.” Marlene inspected her nails.

Black asked, “Okay then… May I take you as my Valentine to Madame Puddifoot’s?”

Marlene stared at him with wide eyes, but the wide eyes returned to their normal size. “Black, you have other choices out there, why me?”

He looked at her questioningly.

I laughed, “She wants to know why you asked her and not the other girls.”

“The other girls already have their nut case dates. I’ve been rejected all day. So basically-“ Black was cut off.

“I was your last resort?” Marlene finished. Her nose was scrunched up.

She looked disgusted. Well, how can he just take advantage of my friend like that? A last resort; that is just cruel!

He negated, “No, not really. My last resort would be Hannah of Slytherin. She’s the outcast of her house. Some one might come to her this week, I mean, she doesn’t look that bad. It’s-“

“-just the house that ruins it. That is terrible and horrible all together. Why can’t people accept them for where they are? She might not be a Pureblood. Not everyone in that house is like that, you know, Sirius,” Alice denied.

I was surprised to hear Alice stand up for Hannah Willinham. I felt proud of her at the same time though. She was starting to speak up for herself.

Black nodded. “I know, but I just… go with everyone, Alice. That is how I’ve come to be popular.”

I cleared my throat. He was so wrong. “Actually, Black, you are infamous. Besides, would you be here with us – actually, would you be here to ask Marlene out for Valentine’s Day if you were popular?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment, but replied, “Touché, Evans. Now, Marlene, can you just say ‘yes’?”

“I doubt that I will or would. You have me as a penultimate resort,” Marlene huffed.

Alice agreed, “Yes, you should be ashamed of yourself, Sirius.”

He sighed, “I know, and I am…” He cleared his throat and sounded truly sincere. “Marlene, I am very truly sorry for using you as an almost last resort. May I be forgiven?”

“You sure have learned the former ways of asking, Sirius Black. Keep it that way, but… I forgive you. Just try to see the other views of the people before you do something. Other than that I…” She grinned, “I would gladly go to Madame Puddifoot’s with you.”

I gaped at her, but she winked. Wasn’t she interested in Samuel?

“I am so glad that today is Saturday, other wise I would be drowning in book work. Minnie almost killed me yesterday!” Black ran a nervous hand through his hair.

I raised an eyebrow. “Minnie?”

“Yes, McGonagall, Miss Head Girl,” Black confirmed.

I laughed, “I can’t believe that you gave her that nickname, Black! She almost killed you because you put a dung bomb on her chair.”

“True, but it was for a good cause-“

“To make the class laugh or was it to make our dear Professor blush furiously when the bomb exploded as she sat down?” I laughed and felt my face heat up.

Marlene said incredulously, “How could you do that to her? No wonder her hat was falling off when she entered our class room late.”

Black and Alice burst out laughing.

I never knew that this would be so funny, but here we are, laughing during lunch. I laughed a little more as I packed away a few muffins, a cup cake, and filled a flask with pumpkin juice.

“Evans, Padfoot, McKinnon, and Étourdi what are the four of you laughing about?”

James, I’ve been thinking about you all day! My heart pounded harder. I don’t hate the book, I promise you that much! The thing is that my brain has been acting oddly for these few weeks.

“Oh, we were laughing about the prank Black played on Professor McGonagall, James,” I blurted.

James nodded mutely as he sat down beside me. “That one was of a Genius’ intelligence. Padfoot, you embarrassed Prof. McGonagall nicely. It’s a bit too bad that you have to deal with three detentions for it.”

Black looked down at the dark mahogany table, but smiled up at James. Marlene bit her lip, but laughed. I joined in along with Alice, Black, and James.

~*~|*|~*~A/n: I know that I said that I wouldn’t continue it… but it was irresistible. I’ve continued to think about it and I’ve come up with this plot. Just read along in Lily’s point of view of how it was right when they were murdered.

:D Sincerely (with much chocolate),
~Meli
P/s: Comments, concerns, suggestions, or just plain reviews are welcome. I’m here to reply, listen, and do anything to develop a better writing style. Besides, reviews are a fic’s food. :) Oh, Romeo and Juliet is William Shakespear's creation. It's the coolest and most romantic ever!